An essential member of the Emeril's family of restaurants since 1997 and NOLA Restaurant's recently-appointed chef de cuisine, Chef Brian Mottola has just introduced a lineup of new dishes for lunch and dinner at the French Quarter hotspot. This critically acclaimed, hip, casual eatery is giving diners a whole new reason to visit one of chef/restauranteur Emeril Lagasse's hottest New Orleans restaurants.

"My approach was to apply modern touches to rustic, traditional classics," says Chef Mottola of the new additions. "Whether it's taking inspirations from traditional dishes, like turning the corn and potatoes from a crawfish boil into a corn purée and potato galette or drenching mussels in Boddington Pale Ale, these are new dishes that embrace classic New Orleans cuisine." In all of Mottola's dishes there is also a focus on seasonality from Louisiana tomatoes and watermelon to Alabama peaches. "Local when possible, in season always," he adds.